Beginning a 3-Month Food Storage

You want to begin storing food? Congratulations! Here's how to begin....

According to providentliving.org: build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage. Store some water that is safe to drink, and save some money, if only a few coins each week. Then over time, expand these initial efforts—as individual circumstances allow and where permitted—by storing a longer-term supply of basics such as grains, beans, and other staples.

I recently saw some videos on youtube by Wendy Dewitt, showing how to start a food storage program, deciding what to store, keeping an inventory, pressure canning meat, solar oven cooking, and vacuum sealing food in jars. Click here to see part 1. You can continue watching the other 8 segments from a list on the side menu. She is quite a motivational speaker. I really enjoyed it, and I hope you do also.

You will enjoy a peace that comes from being prepared when you have food storage. Remember when Nephi broke his bow? His brothers were angry with him for they did not have any food. And besides Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael murmuring exceedingly because of their sufferings and afflictions, Nephi says, "...and also my father began to murmur against the Lord his God..." Lehi was a prophet of God. He had had visions and dreams and had seen angels, but when he got hungry, he murmured against God....a good example of how people can do uncharacteristic things when they are hungry.

Remember the counsel to not go into debt for food storage. I know if you have a budget and work to eliminate all the non-essential spending, you will be able to obtain your food storage.

Until later.....

How Do I Start A Garden?

In today’s blog I would like to talk about the importance of raising a garden. Planting a garden, even a small one, boosts our self-reliance. Considering the price of tomatoes and other produce in the stores, I’m all for saving a few bucks growing my own produce. Are you a college student or apartment dweller? Use containers for your garden. I remember my parents growing a garden when I was young. I decided I was never going to have a garden. :) My husband was also from a gardening family, much more so than mine. We started out our marriage in a small trailer in a trailer court with a tiny garden at the end of the trailer and some pumpkins that grew in front of the trailer, eventually trailing out onto the driveway. Each garden has been a learning experience. One valuable lesson I've learned is to make a yearly plan for the garden to rotate crops. I keep the plans and notes in a file that I refer to the next spring before I draw up the next plan.

I saw a great news story on CBS news about a family in Pasadena who turned their whole yard into a garden. See this link to see their amazing garden and video:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/09/eveningnews/main4932649.shtml

In my opinion, the very best site is “Growing a Garden” at providentliving.org:
http://www.providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,6637-1,00.html

I have spent a few hours researching websites, and the provident living site has the best information and best links. Please be sure to check out all the menu items. There are some links that will show plant hardiness (frost tolerance) and best planting times, square foot gardening, container gardening for those with limited garden space. Click on the “Links to Gardening Web Sites”. You will be amazed at the information there. Info is also available at your local extension office.

I promise that you’ll learn something new each year that you garden. If there’s ever a time we have to live on what we raise ourselves, wouldn’t you like to have some prior experience?

Until next time…..

Consider the Ant....

Hi, welcome to my blogspot.

One of my favorite scriptures is found in Proverbs 6:6-9...
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?"

Not that we are sluggards, but many of us are uninformed of things to do to help our families make it financially. In these times, we need to save where we can, raise what we can, cook from scratch what we can, learn how and commit to obtaining food storage, and in general be more prepared for what's to come.

I've been thinking about doing an e-mail newsletter to those interested, but...hey....instead you can come here and see what's new. I would love for you to send me your "frugal" ideas to share on this blog. ~ Heather